BELVIDERE — Individuals looking to adopt a dog at Boone County’s Animal Services and Adoption Center walk into a facility with a cracked kennel floor, mice infestation and a broken sink.

Chain-link fence separates the dog areas, which can allow the more aggressive pets to intimidate the meeker ones. The material also allows kennel cough or other diseases to be spread quickly.

Most agree it’s an unacceptable sight, but county leaders aren’t sure if they can afford a remedy to the situation. The Boone County Board will decide next Wednesday whether to move the agency into to a new facility or fix up the current space.

“We’re very nervous about the decision. We don’t know if we should get excited about getting a new building or just deal with what we have here,” said Jacqui Mitzelfelt, programs coordinator and animal services officer for the center.

The problem will likely magnify if leaders don’t take action now. The facility is being used more than ever. Adoptions increased from 36 in 2010 to 120 in 2012.

Residents are now asking staff to offer cat adoptions, too, but the current facility is out of space.

County Administrator Ken Terrinoni said it would cost $600,000 to construct a new building based on a previous architect’s report. That’s not including the hiring of another animal services officer if cat adoptions become part of the operation.

He said there will be about $30,000 left in the animal control fund when the fiscal year ends Nov. 30. Some of that money could be spent on the future project.